133 | THE FINAL CURTAIN

A few days later, I’m setting down the fresh stack of reports. Done. *Finally*. It’s after sunset now and Blue’s heading back from his Pack business. I spoke to my own Pack yesterday, chatting with my Betas about the last full moon and wondering if things are ever going to calm down enough for me to visit them in-person - or figure out a way to transplant them closer. I’m grinding the heels of my palms into my eyes, wishing I could massage my burning retinas, when my phone starts vibrating in my pocket.

Without opening my eyes, I fish out the device and swipe my finger across the screen to accept the call.

“Yeah?” I growl into the receiver. There’s a hesitant pause before my cousin’s voice comes through.

*“This a bad time?”* Ryker asks slowly, like a guy who’s used to the answer being a screaming confirmation. My eyes fly open and I feel my spine straighten.

“Talk to me, Ry. What’s up?” I tell him in the same growl-y tone, but now there’s an edge to it. A maybe *too firm* of a tone than makes me sound like I’m pissed at him.

*“Uh,”* Ry hesitates again, but then there’s a sound of shifting fabric and then another voice comes over the line.

*“For a puppy, your cousin’s a wimp,”* Mina announces empirically. I can hear my cousin growling from somewhere over the line as I blink at the far wall. *“Calm down, lover, it’s just an observation. Don’t be so touchy.”* Mina croons in a lower tone, but I still pick up the saccharine-sweetness of her tone. Ryker grumbles and I swear I can hear the blush in his face from here. *“Anyway,”* Mina speaks louder - to me - and takes a deep breath. *“We’ve got news, Scarlett.”*

“Go on,” I tell her slowly, still a little dizzy and awkward-feeling for having heard their lovers-quarrel. *Who’d have thought Ry would even allow a vampire to talk to him that way?*

*“Last night, we had a break through- well, I suppose I should say Fang had a breakthrough.”* Mina amends, making my frown deepen, then a shock of surprise snaps me out of my confusion and I feel my eyes go wide. *Oh my god…is she about to say what I hope she is?* *“The King is officially gone.”*

“Mina, you’re gong to need to spell this out for me.” I tell her when that’s the last the Queen speaks. I hear the vampire Queen let out a heavy sigh.

*“Scarlett,”* She tells me slowly, patronizingly slowly as my heart races in my chest. *“Fang found the King, and dismembered him. His ashes are being scattered in the corners of the state as we speak.”* Mina tells me. *“And I was there when Fang brought me the pieces. I confirmed it was William.”*

“Mina,” I breathe, my chest all but exploding with happiness. “Please tell me you’re not kidding right now. Please tell me this isn’t some horrible joke.” I beg her, my voice tight and a little far-away-sounding. I hear the tinkling laugh from the other end of the line, worry and hope warring inside of me.

*“Scarlett, I swear,”* Mina chuckles. *“That I am being one-hundred percent honest with you about this. I swear, I’d never lie about something like this.”* My heart stops beating as her honest words process in my head and relief hits me. *“William is gone. Dead. The Revenant is dead.”*

“I…” I breathe, because I know I need to say something. “I…think I’m going to need a second to process this.” I finally admit since nothing else is coming to mind.

There’s blissful peace in me right now. A moment of relief so monumental that I literally have nothing else to say. Or think. Hell, I don’t even know if I’m capable of feeling anything else aside from relief. And then I blink.

“Fang found him?” I ask, a little surprised. Last time I traveled with the vampire, we’d found Revenants, but no King.

*“He was following another hunch, there was a woman he’d met the morning of that he sensed was being targeted by the King. We’re still not sure how or why the King went after the ones he did, but we have reason to believe that the woman was going to be his replacement or new Revenant.”* Mina explains, the knot of worry unraveling in my gut as I listen. It makes sense, I guess, what with Fang’s hunch almost panning out last time. But last time, it had been a setup - I’m sure of it.

“At least it’s over.” I breathe after another moment of silence.

*“Well,”* Mina starts slowly. *“Yes and no.”* I frown at the wall, as if I’m looking at the Queen in person. I wonder if she understands my silence for what it is since she quickly continues before I can growl a her. *“Yes, the main source of the problem is extinguished… But William left behind several Revenant nests. We are aware of several, however, as we discovered, there may be more out there than we had been previously aware of.”*

I wave at the empty air, forgetting for a moment that the vampire can’t see me right now.

“It’s one part of the problem solved.” I explain. Yeah, maybe actually verbalizing the sentiment is bad luck, but my need to be optimistic and hopeful for some sort of resolution pulls the thought out of me. I have that compulsion to ‘look on the bright side’ now, a need to think that there’s going to be some sort of ‘light’ at the end of this long and horribly dark tunnel.

“Yes, well, thanks to Fang, who rescued the woman,” Mina continues in a peppier tone. “Our Guardian forces are growing ad learning quite well.”

“Oh?” I ask brightly, relieved Mina’s getting things back on track over there in her Court. “The woman’s a vamp?”

*“Yes- No. She wasn’t before the attack, but Fang had to turn her to ensure she survived, so she is now.”* Mina explains off-handedly. I feel my eyebrows climb a little. *“She has yet to awaken from her transformative slumber, but the aura she s giving off suggests she has the potential to become a Guardian- or part of the Royal Court.”*

“Bet you’re gonna ask her to be Queen,” I murmur with a grin.

*“Ah, my dear hybrid,”* Mina replies with a wistful sigh. *“You know me so well…”*

“Thanks for the good news, Mina,” I tell her earnestly, feeling my smile fade a little. “I was starting to feel like we’d never get out of this mess.”

*“You and I both, Scarlett.”* Mina agrees softly, almost too quietly for me to hear. *“Well, I must be going now,”* She suddenly perks back up. *“I believe that new vampire who just may soon be Queen has just awoken!”* I smirk at the too-excited tone in Mina’s voice and roll my eyes.

“Good luck,” I tell the Queen, hoping Mina will finally get the life she wants, and not the crushing responsibility that she’s been dealing with. The call ends, and I pull the phone from my ear, tucking the device back into my pants. Still a little stunned by this new information, I sit back in my chair at continue to stare at the far wall.

One problem down, and fifty to go. I think to myself with a grimness that’s almost a little too despairing - even for me. I sigh and stretch, setting aside the stack of reports and reflecting on the fact that one of the problems - events - has come to pass- and been resolved. The world didn’t end just because we couldn’t prevent the event. Which means there may be hope for us yet.